Third FTC hearing on Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century considers calls for additional scrutiny in multi-sided digital platform industries.

On October 15, 16, and 17, 2018, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC, or the Commission) held the third hearing in its series of Hearings on Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century. During this three-day event, the FTC invited comment on whether competition policy should evolve in light of criticism from some antitrust experts and observers that the current regulatory framework is insufficient to address growing market power in multi-sided digital platforms. Panelists also discussed antitrust issues related to labor markets and acquisitions of nascent competitors.